Draw to help I Did It Again relax in Blue Sapphire

Brad Waters - Tuesday October 17

Greg Eurell says a different draw should produce a more favourable scenario for I Did It Again in Wednesday's Group III Blue Sapphire Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield.

Advertisement
I Did It Again (red & white stripes) duels with Bandipur (royal blue) at Caulfield last month. Photo: Darryl Sherer

I Did It Again showed great promise in his debut win at Caulfield in July before little went right for the son of Nicconi when he was narrowly beaten first-up at Caulfield on September 23.

I Did It Again was left without cover from the outside gate while jockey Nikita Beriman dropped her whip in the straight before the three-year-old went down to Bandipur at his last start.

The gelding jumped form barrier nine in a 10-horse field last time out but he will jump from barrier three in Wednesday's $350,000 contest, a gate Eurell said should help I Did It Again settle better than he did first-up.

"If he doesn't draw a gate, he was always going to find it inviting to grab the bridle and roll forward and that's what he did last start and it just made it difficult," Eurell said.

"I'm really happy with the barrier draw and it sort of gives us some opportunity for something to roll forward and he take a sit behind them and see what he can do from there.

"Tomorrow, if he can get that little smother, I'd say that would be ideal.

"He's still pretty keen at the moment. He's not silly by any means but he's just one of those horses that wants to run and he's competitive so he heads into it pretty fresh tomorrow."

Eurell said I Did It Again handled his first-up run well but the Cranbourne trainer and the sprinter's new jockey Damien Oliver agree the 2017 edition of the Blue Sapphire Stakes features a strong field.

"He's a really promising horse, he probably didn't have everything go his way the other day," Oliver said.

"He's shown he is worthy of a crack at a race like that, although it seems to have come up a pretty strong edition this year.''

Sportsbet has I Did It Again as a $5.50 chance in Blue Sapphire betting behind the well-backed Jukebox, who has been supported from $4.80 to join Formality as a $4 equal favourite.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Transatlantic Takes $1million Five Diamonds Prelude
Transatlantic’s lucrative spring carnival continued at Randwick with an arrogant victory in the $1m Five Diamonds Prelude.
Sires With Winners - Saturday October 25
Here is the full list of 136 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Yes Yes Yes 3YO Shooting for G2 on Monday
Last year’s Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) set Savaglee up for Group One glory in Christchurch, and Matamata trainer Pam Gerard is hoping to follow a similar blueprint in 2025 with her Yes Yes Yes 3YO Affirmative Action..
Doubtland 2YO All On Red Smashes Them Again at Ascot
Widden Stud's Doubtland has a potential 2YO topliner in Perth in the shape of exciting WA colt All On Red, who remains undefeated from two starts after another comprehensive Ascot Saturday win.
Undefeated 3YO King of Light Wins Listed Belgravia
Dan Morton's exciting three year old King Of Light (Earthlight) remains unbeaten in three starts, as the gelding graduated to stakes company with a scintillating first up victory in the Listed Belgravia Stakes on Cox Plate Day at Ascot.
Wootton Bassett Colt Leads Coolmore G1 Trifecta
The last British Group I race of the flat season was run overnight at Doncaster with Aidan O’Brien producing a trifecta of two year-old colts led by a son of the late Wootton Bassett (GB) in Hawk Mountain, who was too good for a pair of Frankel colts.
Sale Cup Winner Adds to Fastnet Rock Super Weekend
It’s been quite the weekend for the late great champion sire Fastnet Rock with a Cox Plate quinella on Saturday and then on Sunday he produced a new stakes-winner when seven year-old gelding El Rocko captured the $200,000 Listed Sale Cup (1600m).
Pedigree Watch - Powerhouse Godolphin 3YOs Dominate
The current crop of three year-olds running for Godolphin lay claim to being the best they have ever produced in Australia and three of those colts won Group races in Australia on Saturday so let’s take a look at those pedigrees.
Cream Rises at Trentham
A half-sister by Hello Youmzain (Fr) to dual Group I winner Mustang Valley, exciting filly Cream Tart is set to line up in one of the major three-year-old races over New Zealand Cup Week following her impressive win in Sunday’s Upper Hutt Car Sales LTD Three-Year-Old (1400m) at Trentham.
Hi Yo Sass Bomb Wins G3 on Sunday
Kim Reid bypassed a Group One in favour of Sunday’s Gr.3 Gee and Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson Handicap (1600m) at Trentham with Hi Yo Sass Bomb, a decision that paid dividends when the mare led from the outset to claim her third stakes success.